Questions about incubating Guinea Fowl Eggs!

[Lydz]

Quick Question or a bit of wisdom required. I have a hen that is sitting on about 24 eggs right now. We were going to leave her alone to hatch them but, as the weather often does in Washington state, we have hit a bit of a wet stretch of weather and we are getting close to hatch day.We are going to raid the nest and put them in the incubator. Here is my dilema; we are so close to hatch day that I am not sure if I should lock them down or not or how to make sure they are facing the right direction. I am thinking that I might do the water trick, gently setting the eggs in water to locate the air pocket. Any thoughts or helpful hints on what to do?

 

[PeepsCA]

Just go ahead and put them in the incubator at the right temp and humidity for incubating now, and be sure to turn them 3 or 5 times a day (odd# is best). If you don't know how to candle and check the air cell then once one or a couple of the shells shows an external pip or crack, it's definitely time for lock-down/hatch (higher humidity, no more turning, and be sure to keep the incubator closed until the hatch is over).

Actually candling them is easy, just be sure to do it in total darkness, with a small flashlight held up to the top of the egg (fat end). The water method may drown your keets, especially if there's a pip you can't see, so I wouldn't risk it. Candling them is safer. The air cell should always be at the big/fat end of the egg (Guinea eggs have a big round end and a very pointy small end). Once the air cells goes really slanted, lock-down/hatch time is just a couple days or so off. If you see the shadow of the keet inside the egg, you can lock them down then too. but it won't hurt to wait until you see an eternal pip in the shell. You can lay them flat on the incubator floor, or you can set them in cardboard egg cartons with the top cut off and the bottoms of each cup cut out.

This is a pic of a Turkey egg, but here is a diagram showing how the air cell development should look in a Guinea egg. Lock-down should normally be day 25, but since you don't know exactly when that may be you can either use this as a guide, or like I said, wait for internal or external pips.

 

[De Wet]

hatching guinea eggs exactly the same as chickens eggs only difference the guinea eggs take seven says more to hatch

 

[PeepsCA]

hatching guinea eggs exactly the same as chickens eggs only difference the guinea eggs take seven says more to hatch

But for the lock-down/ hatch they do better with higher humidity than chicken eggs require (70-75% for Guinea eggs keeps the membranes moist and the shells softer).

 

[De Wet]

But for the lock-down/ hatch they do better with higher humidity than chicken eggs require (70-75% for Guinea eggs keeps the membranes moist and the shells softer).

I keep mine on 60 % and they hatch sucsessfully got one time 10 out of 12 keets in one incubation don t say it is wrong for 70-75% but I normally brood guinea eggs sometimes with other poultry and they hatch without any problems

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote: Just curious D Wet, how many keets have you hatched?

 

[De Wet]

Just curious D Wet, how many keets have you hatched?

about 16 keets this year by one hen

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote: OK, just curious

Good luck with your future hatches

Post some pics if you can.

 

[franj99]

This is my first guinea incubation and hatch. My eggs are at day 21-23 what are folks referring to by "Lock Down"?? and pipping?
I have raised the humidity up to about 80 % the digital temp and humidity is not accurate and I have regulated the tempature with a regular glass themomtor that came with the incubator. I raised the humidity because it looks like some of the eggs might be starting to hatch. Several eggs I collected were sat on by the chicken hens and we had a huge heat wave in California during the same time that could have started the incubation process prior to my putting the eggs in the incubator.

I can see several eggs with tiny shell fractures and doing my best at candling with a flash light can see several with slanted air pockets at the top of the eggs. I also have 3 duck eggs hatching with these and all 3 of those eggs have slanted air pockets for sure.

There is one egg that has some liquid dots forming on the top of the egg that are coming out of the egg and I can see tiny fractures down the sides of the egg as I sat and watched the egg for a while the liquid had tiny bubbles that appeard like something inside was causing pressure that was forcing the dots of liquid out of the shell. Any ideas??

 

[Sage874]

Hi all, day 26 for my guinea eggs.
I have a hen who has 13 and 9 in the incubator. Finger crossed for a great hatch.
I keep thinking will the keets just use the hen as surrogate mom or just abandon her for being a guinea hehe.

Thanks for all the great advice along the way .